My quest to find the best in budget-friendly skincare brought me to Soap & Glory's Fab Pore 2-in-1 Pore Purifying Mask and Peel. Lord knows, if anyone's pores need purifying it's mine!
I don't suffer from a lot of breakouts (thankfully that epic pimple-plague of doom that attacked my face while I was reviewing Garnier's SkinActive Green Tea range has finally cleared up!), but I do have some pretty stubborn blackheads on my nose and chin that seem to have taken up a lifelong residence. Then, of course, there's the issue of my enormous pores. At least if Britain faces austerity in future, I can make a little money on the side by renting out my pores for small families to live in. That's how huge they are!
I'm on the hunt for good, reliable, affordable skincare. Aren't we all?
Recently my search brought me to Garnier's new SkinActive range so I thought I'd test it out for a full 10 days and give you my full and honest opinion.
The main selling point of Garnier's new SkinActive range is that a whopping 96% of the
ingredients that make up the products are natural and free from silicone, parabens and synthetic colourants. I'm no dermatologist, but that sounds like a winning formula to me!
Since I gave up my job on a whim to become a penniless student again, I've had to readjust to a fairly frugal lifestyle i.e. I can't justify my weekly Boots splurge, Yankee Candle obsession or unfathomable need to purchase a range of obscure homeware items from Etsy despite not actually owning a home. I have no doubt my postman is thrilled that he doesn't have to stagger under the weight of all my packages anymore, but personally I'm having shopping withdrawal!
I miss being able to treat myself to anything I fancied. I'm mourning a life where I could immediately replace my foundation without having to weigh up my expenses. Was being a student this hard the first time round? I have a list as long as my arm of pointless things I want for absolutely no reason other than that I just want them.
And then I thought, hey, I'll share them with you guys! We'll call it the Lust List.
So here are some of the things I've been lusting after recently...
The world is truly a cruel place! Here I find there's a company that makes Disney scented candles(!) and it turns out they only ship out of the U.S. I have no doubt I could justify £12.62 for a candle, but it's the £26 on top for shipping that well and truly puts them out of my reach.
To be entirely honest, I'm not really sure where August began and where it ended. Was I even there? To be fair, it's really hard to keep track of time when you're not in work or school. I very rarely know what day it is anymore. Roll on the start of my first semester back at uni!
But, for all that, it's been a pretty good month. My baby niece turned seven (seven!) and, partly because I want to be the coolest aunt ever and partly to wind up my brother, I bought her a six foot unicorn. I finally renewed my gym membership and went for a swim for the first time in about 10 years (I felt as if I was going to drown after a mere two laps, but, hey, I'll get there eventually). The sun finally came out a couple of times and it was even warm enough for a dip in the sea!
So all in all August has been an excellent end to my summer!
Magical Moment
Here's a picture of my touching a cow. A cow! I've been terrified of cows for most of my life. Nobody (including myself) understands why. It's not like I endured any bizarre cattle-related trauma as a small child of anything, but, whatever the reason, even the knowledge that there could be a cow somewhere within a three mile radius was always enough to send me into hysterics.
I knew I had to deal with this fear. After all, it's not acceptable to turn 25 and still have a crippling fear of lumbering herbivorous farm animals.
So, when my friend Beth and I went to a local country park and came across a miniature farm, I repressed my initial instinct to flee, arms flailing at the mere thought that there could be cows lurking nearby. In fact I looked them square in the face, sidled up to their enclosure and touched one (after a great deal of hyperventilating and crying).
It's not very often that I get to describe a Thursday evening as fun-filled and glamorous (I mean, usually I'd be in my pjs by 7pm with a Mini Milk, watching Take me Out). But last night I was lucky enough to attend a fabulous Estee Lauder blogging event courtesy of their counter in Boots, Cribbs Causeway.
For a while I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make it, what with the exhaust literally falling off my car and the motor giving out in one of the windows so that it wouldn't go back up. Luckily the garage managed fit a new exhaust in time for me to make it to Bristol, albeit with a black bag taped to the side of my car in an attempt to keep the rain out. Trying to pay at the Severn Bridge was a nightmare I never want to have to repeat.
But it was definitely worth all the drama when I finally got there (slightly frizzy and dishevelled as I was since the black bag only held out for the first 15 miles of my journey). The event was held at Scavi and Ray, a chic prosecco bar in the Cribbs Causeway Shopping Mall that Carrie Bradshaw herself would be proud to be spotted at. We had an array of delicious nibbles and adorable little bottles of prosecco with straws, which went down a treat!
First we heard about the history of Estee Lauder, who was, in fact, a real-life woman and a sassy, ingenious girlboss at that! She was the first to give out free samples and gifts with purchase. You guys, we owe that woman so much!
And then we got into the products. I felt like a small child on Christmas morning!
We tried out some of the products from the Advanced Night Repair range including the foil mask made famous by Victoria Beckham. I used it on the back of my hand and even now, almost 24 hours later, one hand is still smoother and more fresh-looking than the other. My hands look they they belong to two different people!
We also got to try out some of the products from the Genuine Glow range, which was super exciting because a) it's designed specifically for us millennials and b) everything is pink! For me the stand out product was the Eyelighting Creme for Eyes and Face. The glow it gave my skin was so beautiful without any of the harsh shininess that you can sometimes get with cream highlighters. I fell in love!
From there we went and got colour-matched for the famous Double Wear foundation, which I've been desperate to try for goodness knows how long. Here's a fun fact: Estee Lauder have 44 different foundation shades. 44! That means there's a shade for everyone and no one has to settle for a colour that's a little too pale or a tad too warm. It's the utopia of foundations!
I had a little sample of Double Wear to bring home with me along with a goodie bag bursting with products I can't wait to try out. By this time next week my skin will be so smooth and radiant that no one will recognise me!
And the lovely ladies at Estee Lauder are so generous that they want all you guys to have a free gift too! Just take this picture (you don't even have to print it, you can take it on your phone) to the Estee Lauder counter at Boots, Cribbs Causeway and you'll get a free gift with any purchase!
I'm so glad my dodgy little car got me to Bristol last night because it really was a lovely evening. Thank you to all the ladies from the Estee Lauder counter for being so friendly and especially to Karen for organising such a lovely event! All in all the evening was a fantastic opportunity to meet some lovely new friends, learn more about a fantastic brand and fall in love with some new products.
Seriously, I've already started writing my Christmas list!
Hi! I'm Aimee. I'm a blogger, Youtuber and full-time loon. I may be stumbling through life with no clue which direction I'm heading in, but at least I'm wearing good shoes.
